1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to ammunition magazines for automatic weapons and, more specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for separating consecutive cartridge-receiving cells of a driven magazine for a rapid-fire weapon, such as an aircraft-mounted cannon or machine gun, for example.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Modem combat aircraft desirably fly at high speeds. Accordingly, cannons and machine-guns mounted on the aircraft must fire at an extremely rapid rate (number of shots per time unit), in order to achieve satisfactory coverage of stationary targets, as well as those targets moving at high speeds. Such cannons and machine guns are equipped with a driven magazine wherein the magazine cartridges are arranged between two transport (or drive) chains connected to each other by transversely running shafts. The transport chains run at a high speed to meet the firing demands of the cannon or machine gun. A cell capable of accepting a full or empty magazine cartridge is formed (defined) by two shafts arranged consecutively between the transport chains.
The transport chains move stepwise with the frequency of the cannon's firing sequence. During this stepwise movement, the shafts abruptly accelerate and again brake the cartridges lying between them at the beginning and end of each step. Furthermore, the magazine cartridges oftentimes have a comparatively high weight. Therefore, the shafts are subjected to an abrupt, alternating (jerky) load in the transverse direction during each step of the transport chain.
These jerky loads create longitudinal oscillations in the two transport chains and transverse oscillations in the shafts. The ends of the shaft that are inserted into (i.e., connected to) the moving transport chains as well as the center portion of the shaft are all critical sites requiring high strength and the capacity to adequately dampen the undesirable oscillations. Since the two types of oscillation can supplement each other unfavorably, prior art shafts have been made of high-strength steel, in order to guarantee the required strength and durability. A so-called driver, having the shape of a ring protruding over the shaft, also has been disposed at the center of the shaft to ensure that gravitational forces acting on the corresponding cartridges are introduced to the shaft at a defined site, preferably at or near the location of the driver. The flexibility of the shaft is reduced at this site because of the driver.
Because of its superior strength and the high alternating bending loads placed on the shafts, high-strength steel continues to be the only material used to construct durable shafts. High-strength steel shafts are quite heavy and undesirably increase the total weight of the magazine significantly. Such magazines have been known for decades and attempts have been made to replace the steel shafts with shafts made of a lighter yet equally strong and durable material. All previous attempts, however, were unsuccessful. For example, aluminum is not suitable because it is insufficiently stable. Fiber reinforcements in aluminum also are not suitable since the fibers are stressed in the transverse direction (i.e., a direction in which the endurance of fibers is limited). Plastic also is not suitable because it does not possess sufficient durability. Titanium is economically unsuitable due to its relatively high cost.